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March 26, 2010

Five We Like: Another week of family history goodies

There’s a lot of good family history information available on the Internet. Here are five places we’ve enjoyed visiting recently:

Through Letters, a Family History Unveiled. It started with a letter decorated in crayon. What followed was a lengthy pen pal relationship between two distantly related men from different generations. After seven years, there are still stories to tell.

Ethnic American Portal. Thanks to Denise Olson at Moultrie Creek, who writes of the WeRelate site: “This is a great way to get started learning about your German, Polish or African-American roots and you are encouraged to add your resources to the existing collection.”

Book Review: Jim Nantz's "Always By My Side." The timing is right to check out this touching tribute to his father by sportscaster Nantz, whose voice can be heard on the current NCAA men’s basketball tournament and will soon be heard during the Masters golf tournament.

'Fumes of Spring and A Little Secret History. From a woman who bought a bottle of her mother’s old pefume “just so I could always have a part of her with me,” comes this reminder that scents can be powerful memory triggers in our family histories.

When Family History Overlaps With U.S. History. Sandra Mendez Duran learned of her family’s pivotal role in American history by accident while doing an assignment in college. When she asked about it, her mother casually replied, "Oh yeah, that was us."

Larry Lehmer is a professional personal historian and legacy planner who connects generations through their stories. To learn more, visit his web site, send him an e-mail or follow him on Twitter.